I made this yummy recipe up recently to hand out at Ethan's birthday party to each family. Of course, we made sure to keep a large mason jar for ourselves!

INGREDIENTS

About 5 lbs. of strawberries 6 cups of sugar 1/2 cup of lemon juice

Use a large stock pot to sterilize your jars. Make sure jars are completely covered with water and bring to a low, rolling boil. Keep jars hot until ready to use.

(I put my lids and rings in a smaller, separate pot of water and kept hot until ready to use.)

In a second large pot, bring cleaned and cut strawberries to a simmer over medium-low heat while mashing. Decide how chunky you want your jam and mash accordingly. I didn't want mine too thin, but I also didn't want too many large chunks, so I fell somewhere in the middle.

Stir in sugar and lemon juice and bring to a boil for 30-50 minutes. Keep stirring throughout this process and skim off any foam as it accumulates on the surface.

You'll know your jam is ready by using the plate test: Keep a spoon in a glass of ice water and periodically (after about the 30 minute mark) take a spoonful of jam and drop it onto a plate. Tilt plate. If the jam is runny (like syrup), it is not ready. It will need to boil longer. If it creeps or needs to be pulled with the spoon to move down the plate, it is ready.

My batch took about 45 minutes.

When the jam is ready, take jars out of boiling water with tongs and--using a canning funnel or even just a spoon-- fill each jar to about 1/4 inch from the top. This is called headspace and is important for sealing properly. Make sure to wipe down the jars to remove any sticky residue.

After filling jars, add lids and rings to each and tighten just until finger tight. Immediately flip jar upside down. Leave for 30-40 minutes.

After 30-40 minutes, flip jars upright and check jar seals by pressing on center of each lid. If the lid center is pulled down and does not move, it has a good seal. If not, flip the jar back over and wait another 30 minutes. If, after that, the seal still isn't good, place jar in refrigerator. The jam is fine and can be eaten, but it will need to remain refrigerated.

My batch made up twelve 4 oz. jars and most of one 32 oz. mason jar, so... close to twenty 4 oz. jars of jam. These were the perfect size for little giveaways at the party, and they would make great additions to a gift basket as a housewarming present or during the holidays. Or you could just store and feast on this deliciousness all by yourself!

1/2 cup of unsalted butter, softened 3/4 cup + 2 tbsp white sugar Zest of one lemon 1 egg, room temperature 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract 2 cups of flour (divided) 2 tsp baking powder 1 tsp salt 1/2 cup of buttermilk 2 cups of fresh blueberries 1 tbsp white sugar (for the top)My family could not get enough of this. The lemon zest gives the cake a nice tart flavor. I thought about using a tad less zest next time, but both my son and my husband assured me that the tartness was part of the appeal of this cake. It's super moist and full of flavor. The batter ends up being quite thick, which is great because it keeps your blueberries from settling to the bottom. It's no fun to have all cake on top and all blueberries on the bottom. This thick batter keeps everything distributed nicely.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Coat a 8x8 baking dish with cooking spray. Cream the butter, sugar, and lemon zest together with a mixer until creamy & smooth. Add the egg and vanilla and beat until combined.

Add 2 tablespoons of flour to the blueberries and toss to coat evenly. Mix the remaining flour together with the baking powder and salt until well mixed. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture a little at a time alternating with the buttermilk. Fold in the blueberries gently.

Spread batter into the pan evenly (the batter will be very thick). Sprinkle the 1 tablespoon of sugar evenly on top of the batter. Place into the oven and bake for 45-50 minutes or until a tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Let it cool for a few minutes before cutting and serving.

Blend all of rest of ingredients with the cake mix at medium speed until smooth. Pour over pineapple and bake 40 to 45 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes and place serving platter or cookie sheet over baking pan and quickly invert the cake. Another option is to leave the cake upside down in the baking pan and invert each slice as it's served.

I can't call this Derby-Pie® because only the Kerns can call it that. Notice the trademark?Derby-Pie® was developed over 50 years ago as the specialty pastry of the Melrose Inn, in Prospect, Kentucky. George Kern, manager of the restaurant, developed the Derby-Pie® recipe with the help of his parents, Walter and Leaudra. The recipe remains a secret to this very day. So, this is not Derby-Pie®--just to be clear. It's similar. It's in the spirit of the Derby. It's Kentucky tradition.

Once taste of this divine slice of heaven, and you'll be hooked! Enjoy any time of the year, not just on the first Saturday in May.

Preheat oven to 350 F. Mix the sugar and flour. Add the beaten eggs, and the melted, cooled butter. Add walnuts, chocolate chips and vanilla. Pour into deep dish pie shell and bake 30 to 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out almost clean.

PS-- Do you notice how the pie has a crust that forms on top when baking? (Reference above picture.) This is how you know it's the real deal. Being a Kentucky girl, and specifically a Louisville girl (ya know, home of the Derby), I can tell you we take our pie very seriously. Especially THIS pie. Don't play. If your pie has loads of pecans on top and no crust, you have not made this pie. You have made a chocolate pecan pie--congratulations. Chocolate pecan pies are also very good, but they are completely different. Please don't try to pass them off as the Pegasus Pie (see, still not calling it Derby-Pie®).

Just to be clear, your pie should look like this:

NOT this:

Or even this:

Nope. Don't even try it. Totally.not.the.same. One bite, and you'll see why.

You may recognize this recipe from the featured recipe link I shared for Easter. I decided to give it a try and I'm so glad I did! It is a super moist, flavorful cake. 211 people on the original site had given this recipe 5 stars, and I have to agree. Five star worthy, for sure. I used a homemade cream cheese frosting with this, and it was absolutely delicious.

Beat eggs and next 4 ingredients at medium speed with an electric mixer until smooth. Add flour mixture, beating at low speed until blended. Fold in carrot and next 3 ingredients. Pour batter into prepared cake pans.

Bake at 350° for 25 to 30 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans on wire racks 15 minutes. Remove from pans, and cool completely on wire racks. Spread Cream Cheese Frosting between layers and on top and sides of cake.

Preheat the oven to 425°F. Clean the mussels by scrubbing well under cold running water and removing any beards. Drain well, transfer to a large bowl, and refrigerate.

Pour 1/2 cup of the olive oil into a shallow baking dish. Lay the bread slices in the oil and turn once to coat both sides. Toast the bread for 10 to 15 minutes, turning once or twice, or until golden brown and crisp. Transfer the croutons to a plate to cool.

Pour the remaining 1/2 cup of olive oil into a large sauté pan and heat over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, or until lightly browned. Add the mussels, tomatoes, and pepper flakes and season with salt to taste. Stir well and cook for about 15 minutes.

Add the wine and parsley, cover, and cook for about 3 minutes, or until all the mussels open. (Discard any that do not open.) Pour the mussels and the sauce into a large serving bowl. Add the croutons and serve.

Preheat oven to 350. Grease 3 - 9 inch round cake pans. In medium bowl, pour boiling water over cocoa, and whisk until smooth. Let mixture cool. Sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt and set aside. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs one at time, then stir in vanilla. Add the flour mixture alternately with the cocoa mixture. Spread batter evenly among the 3 prepared pans. Bake in preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes. Allow to cool.Use whatever topping your taste buds desire to finish off the cake (I love to drizzle melted white chocolate over the top)--or eat it plain, because it is that delicious on its own!

I've also made this in my bundt pan instead of three separate cake pans. You'll have to add to your bake time when using a bundt pan, so be careful to watch your cake. The top shouldn't be jiggly at all when you take it out of the oven.